PRESS RELEASE

ZJS Express is GLS’s partner in China

Amsterdam, 15 August 2012. The GLS Group has a new partner in China. ZJS Express, one of the largest private parcel delivery services in the People’s Republic, will be feeding parcels destined for the European market into the GLS network.

The partnership was announced during a press conference in Beijingtoday. ZJS Express Co. Ltd. will be sending parcels destined for the European market by air freight from Beijing to Frankfurt or London. Gateways will also be set up in the industrial centres of Shanghai and Shenzhen. Parcels for delivery in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland will be fed into the current GLS network via London, all other parcels will be distributed via Frankfurt. The IATA licensed GLS airport office at Frankfurt airport will be responsible for the parcels and will ensure they are cleared by customs and distributed throughout the whole of Europe.

Strong networks in Europe and China

“Together with the USA and the Asia-Pacific region, Europe is China’s most important trading partner”, comments Rico Back, CEO of the GLS Group. “We are delighted that ZJS Express has such faith in the quality of our services in Europe”. Goods are still sent predominantly by sea in trade with China but parcel deliveries are steadily growing in importance to meet the need to supply customers with goods in smaller quantities. This applies especially to spare parts or to specific products sold through e-commerce.

GLS’s new partner, ZJS Express, has a network that covers more than 2,000 towns and cities in the People’s Republic of China. The main distribution centres in the fourth largest country in the world in terms of area are linked by road and air freight. Approximately 20,000 staff are employed by the company at more than 3,000 locations.

The GLS UniQue software and its scan stations will be used to handle the parcels destined for Europe in China. This ensures that all the necessary data for handling the parcels, such as that required for customs clearance, can be sent in advance. Chinese consignors will also have access to parcel tracking service throughout the whole of Europe.

Global Transparency

The new partnership will initially involve the dispatch of parcels to Europe, but GLS will also be shortly passing parcels on from its customers to ZJS for delivery throughout the People’s Republic of China. The GLS Group also has strong partners in Russia, India, the Middle East and Hong Kong, who are among the top players in their markets.

“GLS will continue to focus on expanding its own network in Europe”, comments Rico Back. “We are able to offer a worldwide service by working in close partnership with established companies with a strong local presence.” For consignors, this primarily means that their shipments can be handled rapidly, reliably and transparently. Interfaces between the IT systems of the different partners make it possible to monitor deliveries continuously. Using the track & trace system, GLS customers are therefore able to track the delivery of their parcels to their destinations also in countries outside Europe.

The GLS Group in Europe

GLS, General Logistics Systems B.V. (headquartered in Amsterdam), realises reliable, high-quality parcel services for 212,000 customers in Europe, complemented by logistics and express services. “Quality leader in European parcel logistics” is GLS’ guiding principle. In this context, sustainability is emphasized at GLS: its Europe-wide Think Green Initiative bundles activities aimed at protecting the environment. Through wholly owned and partner companies, the Group provides a network coverage of 42 European states and is globally connected via contractual agreements. 37 central transhipment points and 660 depots are at GLS’ disposal. With its ground based network GLS is one of the leading parcel service providers in Europe. 13,400 employees handle 375 million parcels per year. Every day 16,510 vehicles are on route for GLS. In the financial year 2011/12 GLS achieved revenues of 1.81 billion euros.

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